[closed] oh, whatever you do, keep it with you

[capcious]

Who: elle, ferran, riley, zetta
Setting: sosufrey verse, pre-war
Summary: a catch-all post for pre-war threads of elle and the reynolds
Warnings: look at the chucklefucks involved and you can probably guess from there
Other: [gifs] [lyrics]

meet me in the garden where the weeds grow tall
down by the gate
i got a secret that i might tell
it'll give me away

meet me on the back porch where ivy climbs
where they sat on the swing
soak up the color of the midday sun
while the ocean sings

Comments

[capcious]

[Zetta finds them back out at the clothing racks. Elle glances up in time to see her crossing over to them, rolling her eyes, and she can't help but grin.] Still? [she says when she's within earshot. Elle puts on an innocent face that Zetta knows well enough by know to know it's bullshit.] Well... Yeah. I swear to god, if you guys don't finish up in the next ten minutes, I'm leaving your asses here.

[reformedcriminal]

It's only been... [Ferran checks the gold watch on his wrist.] ...fifty-six minutes.

And Elle needs an outfit for the fair.

[capcious]

The only reason why that's an "only" is because you're involved. Seriously, I'm gonna make you walk home at this rate.

[Ferran could easily call a cab. Of course, Elle wouldn't think anything if walking back, but that's her secret.]

[reformedcriminal]

It's a long way. What if I got kidnapped off the street by bad men who want to sell me into sexual slavery? You'd feel terribly for leaving me to fend for myself if that happened.

[Ferran puts on an expression of innocent defenselessness despite having a concealed gun in a shoulder holster under his jacket.]

[capcious]

[Elle gets that deer-in-the-headlights look on her face she usually does whenever Ferran makes jokes along these lines. Zetta, though, doesn't bat an eyelash.] Oh, don't give me that. That would only happen if you wanted it to, which you probably would, specifically to try and make me feel bad.

[reformedcriminal]

Are you saying that I would pay men of nonexistent morals to stage a kidnapping, just to try to manipulate people's feelings?

[While they're talking, he isn't settling the matter of Elle's clothes, so he glances at Elle and multitasks.]

What do you think of the red flower print dress?

[quixotically]

Are you saying you wouldn't? [Oh, they're splitting the conversation now. This is something Elle has gotten used to with them; they really like their fake arguments. She just doesn't always seem to... get it, sometimes.] Oh! I mean, it's cute, but I don't know... I was looking at this yellow one?

[reformedcriminal]

Hm, that shade of yellow is a bit...out of style right now. I'll get it for you if you want it, but frankly I wouldn't wear that color.

[And then back to Zetta.]

Of course I wouldn't pay them. I'd find people I could seduce, threaten, or blackmail to do my bidding.

[quixotically]

I dunno... Even if it's out of style, I still think it's prettier than the red one. Look, even the flower pattern... Same difference. It doesn't change my point at all.

[reformedcriminal]

Alright, but it should be paired with a sunhat.

Your point being that if you leave me here I'll find some kidnappers to take me to whatever destination I want?

[quixotically]

[Zetta opens her mouth, but doesn't get a chance to say anything before Elle starts bouncing up and down.] Oooh, oooh, so hats are next? Maybe sunglasses, too? [And then she could look like a movie star! In... a dress... that's out of fashion, but whatever. Zetta pinches the bridge of her nose.] Good god, we're never getting out of here.

[reformedcriminal]

Yes, sunglasses as well.

[Ferran moves closer to Zetta.]

Don't worry, I won't let you die of old age in a department store.

[capcious]

Oh, believe me, I'd die of boredom first. And, knowing my luck, I'd be stuck haunting this damn place instead of getting to move on and do anything interesting.

sanctuary

[inhonorof]

[Riley gets home before Zetta and Ferran do, and he can't really say he's surprised. Still, he doesn't quite know what to do with himself, so ends up taking advantage of having the house to himself to do some cleaning without Zetta making more messes or Ferran actively trying to distract him. He's still working on the kitchen when he hears the car pull up into the port. Even before he sees them, he can feel tension that he didn't realize he'd been holding fading out of him. He puts his washrag aside and moves to put some water on to boil. He's sure Ferran would appreciate some tea.]

[reformedcriminal]

[Ferran drove them home faster than is legal, but at least he didn't run any red lights this time. True to his word, they were home before the game started. He let Zetta enter the house first, knowing better than to get between her and baseball, and followed close behind.]

Honey, we're home!

[He calls out to Riley.]

[inhonorof]

I swear to god, if you ever do that again -- Welcome home, [Riley says over her, laughing. Zetta comes over and tilts her head so Riley can kiss her cheek, but then she's immediately moving on to the couch, where he'd already turned on the TV and switched it to the right channel.] I just put some water on for you.

[reformedcriminal]

You're the best househusband a man could want.

[Ferran slips off his jacket and hangs it in the coat closet, then starts unbuttoning his shirt at the collar.]

[inhonorof]

[A flush rises up the back of Riley's neck, and he's glad Ferran is probably too busy to notice.] I, uh... was thinking about going down to the Super Duper Mart to get stuff for dinner at some point. What would you guys like? [The question is directed at Zetta as well as Ferran, even though he knows Ferran is the only one who's gonna answer him.]

[reformedcriminal]

Dinner can wait. Zetta won't be interested in leaving the couch for hours anyway.

[What started out as possibly just loosening his shirt to relax has now gone three buttons too far to be just relaxing. He untucks his shirt once it's half-unbuttoned, pulls it off over his head, and tosses it at Riley to catch. His undershirt follows right after.]

[inhonorof]

I know, I didn't mean any time soon, just -- [And then Ferran is untucking his shirt, making Riley blink, and then Ferran's shirts are thrown at him. He fumbles to catch the first one, and in the process of his fumbling, he accidentally catches the undershirt. He continues to stand there, blinking in confusion over how everything just went down, but then his eyes slide to the living room window, where the curtains are still open. He's only shirtless right now, but...]

What's -- Should I, uh, be closing the curtains? [It isn't like Ferran to lounge around only shirtless.]

[reformedcriminal]

Probably.

Unless you want to be the subject of gossip.

[Ferran has no issues in principle with people seeing him naked or having sex, but he does have a reputation to maintain. Everything has a time and a place. It's one thing to be put on display in cage in an S&M club he's visiting under a fake name, but it's something else entirely to have people who think he's a respectable gentleman who wears suits to work to suddenly have their image of him upended. Especially when he's gone to great pains to craft that neighborhood image of successful middle class American.]

[inhonorof]

[That... confirms that, then. Which means, the mood Ferran's in is... No wonder he said they could worry about dinner later. That flush seems like it's here to stay. Riley hastens to close the curtains, and Zetta leans one way, then the other on the couch to see the TV around him. Just from that alone, he thinks he can imagine why Ferran's mood is the way that it is.]

[reformedcriminal]

[While Riley closes the curtains, Ferran takes off his shoes and finishes stripping. He takes a small tube of lube and a condom out of one of the pockets before he tosses the clothes aside. He was never a boy scout, but he can appreciate the motto "Be Prepared."

Then he walks naked into the living room, right in front of Zetta, and drops to his hands and knees on the carpet.]

[capcious]

[It's still early yet, so Zetta isn't actually as engrossed as she'd been pretending. But even if she had been, this sure as hell would get her attention anyway.

She can't help but laugh.] You certainly didn't waste any time, did you?

[reformedcriminal]

Riley has to run errands later.

Besides, I know you'd never forgive me if I waited until the bottom of the ninth.